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Dr. Legato shares if hormone fluctuation during a woman's menstrual cycle can compromise her immune system.

Dr. Legato:
The fluctuations of hormones during the menstrual cycle do have an impact on immune function and also on the metabolism of drugs. Women react differently to medications depending on what point in their cycle they take them. There is a dampening of the intensity of the immune system that happens at the time when a new fertilized egg is implanted. It’s very important in the physiology of women, and this obviously does not happen with men.

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About Dr. Legato:
Dr. Marianne J. Legato is an internationally known academic physician, author, lecturer and specialist in women's health. She is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and the Founder and Director of the Partnership for Women’s Health at Columbia University. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical School. Dr. Legato founded the Partnership for Women's Health at Columbia University in 1997. It is the first collaboration between academic medicine and the private sector focused solely on gender-specific medicine: the science of how normal human biology differs between men and women and of how the diagnosis and treatment of disease differs as a function of gender. Dr. Legato has received many awards for her leadership role in women's health.